The north stretch of Haynes Bridge Road between Old Milton Parkway and Academy Street in Downtown Alpharetta will be closed through the end of this year beginning Oct. 11 at 9 a.m.

The closure was announced at Monday's Alpharetta city council meeting as part of the weekly City Center updates.

According to Engineering and Public Works director Pete Sewczwicz, the Haynes Bridge Road realignment project, which features a traffic circle at the intersection of Haynes Bridge and Thompson Street, is “about four months behind schedule.”

The city's contract with C. W. Matthews Contracting Company states that the project should be complete by the end of the year, and the closure will — weather permitting — allow the city to have the new road open by then.

“This will enable them to work 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.,” Sewczwicz said.

Right now, because of a city ordinance, the construction crew is only able to work on the roundabout between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., but the closure will extend those hours.

The road realignment is a major part of the City Center development and, according to city staff, it is necessary for the construction of the new Fulton County Library, the new City Hall, greenspace and other components of the plan.

Sewczwicz said if the road is not closed, the realignment would most likely not be complete until the end of the first or second quarter or 2013.

The delay is due to the relocation of utilities, according to Sewczwicz. Utility crews had to head south to the gulf during this summer's tropical storms, postponing the project.

While all through traffic will be prohibited while the closure is in effect, the public will still be able to access Publix from northbound Haynes Bridge Road.

Motorists who typically use the northern section of Haynes Bridge Road to access eastbound Academy Street will be directed to a detour route along Westside Parkway. 

Motorists who are seeking to use Haynes Bridge to get to State Route 9 should utilize Old Milton Parkway.

Download the detour map.